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The market town of Bourne has been a settlement since the Roman Invasion. Attracted by the fresh water supply of St Peter’s Pool, the Romans built a fortress for protection against external evil. Strange and eerie earth mounds are all that remain of the fortress, which is believed to have been replaced by a castle during the Norman times.
The town is by tradition the birthplace of Hereward the Wake, a local leader of the resistance to William the conqueror. From St Peter’s Pool, a small stream known as the Bourne Eau runs into the town and memorial gardens where will trees bend and fall to the crystal clear water, home of fish, wildfowl and small roosting houses. The town is known throughout the world to those with an interest in motoring history as the lifetime home of Raymond Mays the racing driver and the place where the famous E.R.A and B.R.M racing cars were built.
There are plenty of interesting places to visit in and around Bourne, including the Market Place, overlooked by the Town Hall and the Burghley Arms Inn, the old market place was the venue for the Thursday and Saturday street markets. The new market place is found behind the Town Hall.
The Burghley Arms, William Cecil was born in 1520 where this fine inn is situated. He became the first Lord Burghley, Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I and is the man responsible for the famous stately home Burghley House.
Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, founded in 1138 for the Augustinian monks but was suppressed during the reformation, much of it being destroyed. The Abbey was built on the site of a Saxon church from the 8th century, which was destroyed by Danes in the 11th century.
Red Hall is a fine Elizabethan Mansion. From 1730 until 1836 it was owned and lived in by the Digby Family. In 1860 it was bought by the Bourne and Essendine Railway Company and became part of Bourne’s Railway Station until the closure of the line in the 1960’s. In 1962 it became the property of Bourne United Charities and since 1972 has served as a community centre and functions building.
Baldock’s Mill, a working mill once driven by the waters of the Bourne Eau between the years 1800 – 1920’s. The mill race, which turned the wheel, is still seen within this building, that is now known as the Bourne Heritage Centre and is the property of Bourne United Charities.
The Well head, the name given to St Peter’s Pool, once a spring of clear water, that probably enticed the Romans to settle in Bourne. The surrounding grasslands are disturbed by mounds, which excavations in 1860 and 1887 disclosed as part of the foundations of a Norman Castle.
Bourne Wood, managed by the Forestry Commission since 1926, this 400 acre wood was once part of the great forest of Brunswald that is said to have covered the site for over 800 years. Broadleaf and various species of conifer trees rise from a bed of woodland plants including bluebell, primrose and wood anemone, which have survived along with the ancient woods. Abundant with wildlife, there are many paths and tracks to follow including the latest arrival – the sculpture route.
The Carr Dyke is said to be one of the greatest engineering feats carried out in Britain during Roman times. Nearly 60 miles in length, it is a canal – like waterway that served for both drainage and transportation, linking the River Nene near Peterborough and the River Witham in Lincoln.
Grimsthorpe Castle, the home of the Willoughby de Eresby family since 1516. This castle of Medieval origin enjoys excellent views across a 40 acre lake, Tudor gardens and extensive woodland. The oldest part of the castle is King john’s Tower, which was built between 1199 – 1216. The north facing front is of the 17th and 18th century and was the last works of Sir John Vanburgh. The fifteen state rooms and chapel, house many objects of rare, artistic and historical interest, including coronation robes, chairs and canopies of George I – IV and Queen Victoria. Paintings of Vandyck, Holbein and Reynolds are amongst the most valuable together with the Gobelin tapestry in the state dining room.
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